Sunday, June 1, 2008

Hillary Rodham Clinton won a lopsided, but largely symbolic victory Sunday in Puerto Rico's presidential primary, the final act in a weekend of tumult that brought Barack Obama tantalizingly close to the Democratic presidential nomination.

The former first lady was gaining more than 60 percent of the vote in early returns, and a pre-election poll suggested she could wind up with nearly two-thirds support.

In defeat, Obama was on track to gain at least 14 delegates, bringing him within 50 of the 2,118 needed for the nomination.

This means that while she's winning big, she still needs, according to MSNBC, to win 85% of the remaining delegates in the Montana and South Dakota primaries. Obama only needs 20% to wrap up the nomination. From MSNBC:

NBC NEWS has also allocated 37 of 55 delegates in Puerto Rico. Clinton, so far, wins a 26-11 split with 18 delegates not allocated yet.

*** UPDATE *** Already factored into our counts below is that Obama also got another superdelegate -- an add-on from Maine (Gwethalyn Phillips of Bangor) after that state's convention this weekend. That's two so far today for the Illinois senator.

Hillary Rodham Clinton won a lopsided, but largely symbolic victory Sunday in Puerto Rico's presidential primary, the final act in a weekend of tumult that brought Barack Obama tantalizingly close to the Democratic presidential nomination.

The former first lady was gaining more than 60 percent of the vote in early returns, and a pre-election poll suggested she could wind up with nearly two-thirds support.

In defeat, Obama was on track to gain at least 14 delegates, bringing him within 50 of the 2,118 needed for the nomination.

This means that while she's winning big, she still needs, according to MSNBC, to win 85% of the remaining delegates in the Montana and South Dakota primaries. Obama only needs 20% to wrap up the nomination. From MSNBC:

NBC NEWS has also allocated 37 of 55 delegates in Puerto Rico. Clinton, so far, wins a 26-11 split with 18 delegates not allocated yet.

*** UPDATE *** Already factored into our counts below is that Obama also got another superdelegate -- an add-on from Maine (Gwethalyn Phillips of Bangor) after that state's convention this weekend. That's two so far today for the Illinois senator.